About IPPL
Our Mission
The International Primate Protection League was founded in 1973, and, since this time, has been working continuously for the well-being of primates. IPPL has Field Representatives in 31 countries. Its Advisory Board is composed of experts from the fields of zoology, anthropology, medicine, biology, veterinary medicine, and psychology. Many IPPL officers
have lived for long periods with primates in their natural habitats.
Primates are disappearing at an alarming rate. Every primate species
is listed on the appendices of the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species. All apes, (gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees, bonobos,
and gibbons), all lemurs, and many monkeys appear on the Convention's
Appendix 1, the list reserved for the most endangered species. All other
primates are listed on Appendix II.
In countries where primates live, IPPL's Field Representatives work
to create and preserve national parks and sanctuaries, and for bans on
primate hunting, trapping, and local and international trade.
IPPL's educational efforts have contributed to decisions by many countries to ban or restrict primate trade and to establish programs to protect primate habitat.
IPPL has raised funds to help other sanctuaries working to provide a
safe and enriching environment for primate victims of deforestation and
poaching. Limbe Wildlife Center, a sanctuary located in Cameroon, is home
to seven gorillas, chimpanzees and a variety of monkeys. Tacugama, located
in Sierra Leone, is a sanctuary for chimpanzees. Despite being in a war
zone, the brave staff at Tacugama have managed to keep the animals safe
and nourished. At IPPL headquarters, we have a sanctuary for unwanted
gibbons obtained from research laboratories. Currently, the sanctuary
has 30 residents.
One of IPPL's accomplishments was its thorough documentation of the
notorious Singapore and Belgian primate blackmarkets, which was achieved
through studies of import records of several countries and infiltration
of animal traders. IPPL's efforts to end smuggling of primates have met
with considerable success. In 1992, an IPPL campaign led to the imprisonment
of Mathew Block for arranging the international smuggling of six baby
orangutans.
In the importing countries, IPPL works to monitor all primate trade
and has discovered numerous illegalities which it has drawn to the attention
of relevant authorities. A US primate importer is currently under investigation as a result of uncovering several shipments of monkeys. These shipments have passed federal port inspection despite violations of US law, such as shipping baby monkeys 3-4 weeks old internationally. Members also monitor the conditions of zoo and laboratory primates in their localities.
News of IPPL's activities is carried in the IPPL Newsletter which features in-depth analysis of primate problems.
No other group works exclusively to protect primates. We need your support to continue and expand our programs.
HERE ARE SOME OF IPPL'S LIFE-AFFIRMING, LIFE-SAVING ACCOMPLISHMENTS SINCE 1973.
1973: IPPL was founded by Shirley McGreal while she was living
in Thailand. Concerned at the conditions of capture, transport, and captive
life of primates, Shirley founded IPPL.
1974: The first issue of IPPL News was published. IPPL exposed
a network of smugglers shipping gibbon apes from Thailand to the USA and
got the network closed down, saving hundreds of mother gibbons from being
shot so that their babies could be caught.
1975: IPPL organized Project Bangkok Airport. Fifty Thai students
worked at the airport logging the dreadful conditions under which all
wildlife was exported. The result was a ban on export of all primates
from Thailand. This ban saved thousands of primate lives.
1976: IPPL uncovered "The Singapore Connection," a technique
by which legally protected primates were smuggled from Thailand, Malaysia,
or Indonesia to Singapore and on to the West with Singapore export documents. Our intervention closed this vicious racket.
1977: IPPL exposed the cruel misuse of Rhesus monkeys exported
from India to the United States in gruesome radiation experiments. Our
intervention led India to ban all primate exports, thus saving hundreds
of thousands of monkey lives.
1978: IPPL protests forced Dr. Christian Barnard to cancel plans
to kill a chimpanzee in a heart transplant operation. The rescued chimpanzee
now lives in a group at a zoo.
1979: IPPL exposed misuse of Bangladesh monkeys in military radiation experiments. Our protests led Bangladesh to cancel plans to export over 70,000 monkeys.
1980: IPPL exposed the US military's chemical warfare experiments
on primates. We took legal action that led to the closing of a laboratory
using gibbons in fatal experiments.
1981: Following the closure of the California gibbon laboratory,
one tiny sickly gibbon, whom we named Arun Rangsi, was sent to live at
IPPL Headquarters. Arun Rangsi is alive and doing well. IPPL is now home
to 32 gibbons, many of whom are research veterans.
1982: IPPL exposed the US military's extremely cruel biological
warfare experiments on primates and US government-funded head-smashing
experiments on chimpanzees.
1983: IPPL's Belgian branch found a cache of endangered primates
in a Belgian basement, including Bonobo chimpanzees. We publicized this
situation worldwide.
1984: IPPL successfully fought plans by three U.S. zoos to import
7 wild-caught gorillas from the African nation of Cameroon, using the
Miami animal dealer Matthew Block.
1985: IPPL secured the release to a sanctuary of 4 chimpanzees
sent to a lab run by toxicologist Fred Coulston after their circus trainer
died. After IPPL protests about misuse of Malaysian monkeys in military
research, Malaysia banned monkey exports.
1986: Following the murder of IPPL member Dian Fossey, IPPL raised funds to help continue Dian's crusade to protect gorillas from poachers.
1987: IPPL exposed illegal exportation of 3 gorillas from Cameroon, two of whom died on the way to Taiwan. Our expose led to prosecutions of criminals in several countries.
1988: Shirley McGreal won the prestigious Marchig Award for her
efforts to protect primates around the world. IPPL investigated the conditions of primates at Cuban zoos.
1989: IPPL uncovered "The Polish Connection," by which animals
were smuggled to Polish zoos for onward shipment to the West. As a result
Poland stopped these activities.
1990: Six baby orangutans were confiscated at Bangkok Airport.
IPPL undertook an investigation which identified the smuggler as Matthew
Block of Miami. IPPL's investigative work led to the jailing of the German
gorilla smuggler Walter Sensen.
1991: IPPL learned that two baby gibbons were on sale at a market
in the Philippines. We intervened and the animals were seized. IPPL adopted
a blind baby gibbon named Beanie.
1992: As a result of IPPL's campaign, Matthew Block was indicted.
On learning that the government planned to let him off with a misdemeanor
plea-bargain, IPPL members flooded the judge with protests. The judge
rejected the deal and sent Block to prison. IPPL Chairwoman Shirley McGreal
was chosen for the United Nations Global 500 Honor Roll.
1993: IPPL Eco-Detectives documented the illegal trade in wildlife in Vietnam and China.
1994: IPPL learned about the presence of 9 chimpanzees in pet
shops in Saudi Arabia. Following a members' letter-writing campaign, these
animals were confiscated.
1995: IPPL uncovered a Pakistani gang smuggling gorillas and
other endangered primates from Nigeria to the Philippines. Sadly, a confiscated baby gorilla died but two drills were returned to Nigeria for rehabilitation to the wild by the IPPL-assisted Pandrillus project.
1996: IPPL ran a fund-raising campaign for Limbe Sanctuary in
Cameroon which houses gorillas, chimpanzees and monkeys rescued from the
"bush meat" and smuggling rackets.
1997: IPPL learned that hundreds of monkeys from Indonesia reached Chicago in April and May 1997 and that the shipments contained baby monkeys 3-4 weeks old, in violation of U.S. law. IPPL began (and continues) campaigning to get those responsible prosecuted.
1998: IPPL raised over $35,000 to support Limbe. Among the rescued primates was "Pitchou," a baby female gorilla who arrived at Limbe in appalling condition, her body covered with ringworm patches. "Pitchou"
survived and is doing very well.
1999: IPPL worked with the Indonesian group KSBK to block the
export of dozens of proboscis monkeys brutally trapped in an Indonesian
nature reserve and sent to Surabaya Zoo where many of them died. Five
of the surviving monkeys were returned to the wild.
2000: IPPL investigated a shipment of colobus monkeys smuggled
from Tanzania to Thailand. Five of the monkeys died. We are trying to
get the smugglers imprisoned.
2001: IPPL organized an international protest over the cruel
drowning by Egyptian authorities of a baby gorilla and baby chimpanzee
smuggled from Nigeria to Egypt. The babies were drowned in a vat of chemicals.
2002: IPPL learned that four baby gorillas had reached Taiping
Zoo, Malaysia, from Ibadan Zoo in Nigeria, on documents falsely claiming
that the animals were captive-born. Our campaign led to the confiscation
of the gorillas. IPPL continues to track the fate of these unfortunate
gorillas. IPPL received a grant from the Arcus Foundation to increase
our support of primate rescue centers in Africa and Asia.
2003: IPPL provided information to a Nigerian Presidential panel
investigating the illegal wildlife trade and provided increased assistance
to many overseas activist groups and rescue centers. Prince Philip, husband
of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, sent IPPL a letter congratulating IPPL on
its 30th anniversary. He stated, "I can only hope that the League will
continue to raise the funds needed to keep up, and hopefully increase,
its good work in the future."
2004: IPPL inspected a dreadful zoo on the 6th and 7th floors of a noisy department store in Thonburi, Thailand. Among the hundreds of animal prisoners were gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees, and monkeys, all living in filth. A fire some years earlier had burned many animals. IPPL started a campaign to close this miserable facility.
2005: IPPL provided financial and logistical assistance to primate sanctuaries in Africa, Asia, and South America. IPPL also continued to investigate international cases of primate smuggling. A baby orangutan, for example, was discovered at a pet shop in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, by a Saudi lady who in turn informed IPPL. We asked our members to send protest letters to Saudi authorities, and as a result the government confiscated the young ape.
2006: IPPL constructed new gibbon housing on five acres of newly-acquired land at our Headquarters sanctuary in South Carolina.
2007: IPPL celebrated the return of the Taiping Four gorillas to
their homeland. They had been smuggled from their Cameroonian birthplace
via Nigeria and South Africa to Malaysia. IPPL had worked with
various allies since 2002 to have the animals re-homed.
Royal praise for deserving cause
Reprinted with permission from The Post and Courier in Charleston South Carolina
December 30, 2003
Not many organizations in the world can boast of a royal patron, and it is rare for an entity in South Carolina to be so honored. The International Primate Protection League of Summerville deservedly has such a longtime supporter.
Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, sent his greetings on the 30th anniversary of the founding of the charity, which combats the illegal trafficking in primates, including monkeys, lemurs and apes, and operates a sanctuary for rescued animals.
"I am delighted to have this opportunity to offer my warmest congratulations (to the League) and my special congratulations
to its founder, Dr. Shirley McGreal," he writes. "The League can look back with much pride on its very considerable achievements ... most primate populations around the globe are in a better state thanks to its activities."
The prince also commented on the bravery of Dr. McGreal and her supporters in challenging the illegal capture and trade in
primates. "This is a very dangerous business and it takes real courage to collect evidence, track smugglers and bring illegal dealers to justice," he wrote.
Dr. McGreal tells us that she has met Prince Philip, who is president emeritus of the World Wildlife Fund, many times at wildlife conferences.
Over the years, he has written some 80 letters praising the IPPL's work and even wrote a letter, at Dr. McGreal's request, thanking a Miami judge for rejecting a probation plea bargain that would have saved an orangutan smuggler from imprisonment.
Tributes to the League have been arriving at its Summerville headquarters from all over the world. The anniversary is also heralded in a special edition of the League's magazine, which includes Dr. McGreal's own account of her experiences while living in Bangkok, Thailand, that prompted her to devote her life to saving primates.
The IPPL has an award-winning Web site (www.ippl.org). It is a
deserving cause, as photographs of the animals IPPL has rescued
testify, and deserving of praise for 30 years of remarkable achievement.
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